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Document Legalisation

The Apostille Service

What is an Apostille?

 The apostille is a certificate that is applied to a document that will be used outside of the country of origin. 

If you need to use your UK company documents overseas then you will probably be asked to obtain an apostille.

Conducting international business transactions and establishing partnerships with overseas organisations can be a complicated process, especially when UK documents need to be legalised.

Let us start by assuring you that the apostille is an official process for getting documents recognised abroad. Whilst it may seem bureaucratic it is an essential service when you need your personal or company papers to be recognised outside the UK.

The apostille certificate is a small certificate approximately 15 cm square. It is permanently attached to a document and then embossed with a government seal. The apostille confirms the signature or stamp on an official document.

Under the requirements of the Hague Convention an Apostille contains 10 points:













To order an Apostille service

 The UK apostille is mostly written in English but several sections also have text replicated in French and Spanish. 

If a person or organisation in a foreign country wants confirm an apostille is genuine they can contact the FCO for advice or visit the UK government website to verify the number and date of issue.

All UK apostilles are issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. If you need assistance legalising your company formation documents or any other UK documents please contact us for a fast apostille service.

Frequently asked questions

How long does this process take?

As part of the Apostille process the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office(FCO) will validate the legal signatory or stamp on a document. The FCO have a growing database of legal representatives in the UK and if the signatory on your document has been through this process before the Apostille should be issued within a few working days.

If the document has been certified incorrectly or the signatory has yet to go through this process the procedure may be slightly delayed.

Where is the Apostille recognised?

The Hague Apostille Convention is an established international treaty and members of this convention have agreed to recognise the Apostille. Any document issued with a UK Apostille will be accepted in any other member country of this convention.

If you intend to use your document outside of these boundaries you may need to also have the document attested by an embassy. For example, the United Arab Emirates are not currently party to this convention and will not recognise the Apostille in it's own right. In this case a UK document must also be presented to the UAE embassy following the Apostille process in order for this to be recognised in the UAE.